The present invention relates to a liquid applicator for an endoscope that is used in a manner inserted into a treatment tool insertion channel of the endoscope and configured to apply dye solution or medicinal solution to in vivo mucous membrane.
In an endoscope observation, it is possible, in some cases, to identify a condition of lesion that cannot be clarified in a usual endoscope observation by applying dye solution to in vivo mucous membrane. However, in such a method that the dye solution is conveyed with a catheter being inserted into a treatment tool insertion channel, it is undesired that a large amount of dye solution is caused to flow to a local portion, or that the dye solution is applied in the shape of waterdrop.
In order to solve this kind of problem, conventionally; a so-called spray tool for an endoscope that is configured to widely spray the dye solution in a human body has been employed (for example, see Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 2001-104489 and No. 2001-137349). Such a spray tool for an endoscope is used not only for spraying the dye solution, but also for spraying medicinal solution in the human body.
By observing a microscopically magnified image of the in vivo mucous membrane tissue using a confocal endoscope or other endoscopes having a so-called proximity magnification observation capability, it is possible to make a definite diagnosis about whether the in vivo mucous membrane tissue is a cancerous cell without taking the tissue. In such a case, a microscopic condition of the tissue can clearly be observed by applying the dye solution to a portion to be observed.
However, when spraying the dye solution into a stomach and intestines using the aforementioned spray tool for the endoscope, since the dye solution is caused to be sprayed to a wide area, the dye solution sometimes adheres to an observation port of the endoscope, and further it is impossible to confirm to which portion a cancerous cell found in the magnification observation corresponds after the observation has been completed. Accordingly, the dye solution is desired to be applied only to a small area of which a magnified image is to be observed.
In addition, since spraying the medicinal solution to a small lesioned part with the spray tool is similar to an undesired situation of applying an ointment to an entire arm to cure a damaged finger tip, it causes a need to consider side effects of the medicinal solution as well as a problem that a lot of medicinal solution is wasted.